Spring conditioning device



Aug. 4, 1931.

E. D. .CAWLEY 1,817,877

SPRING CONDITIONING DEVICE Filed Aug. 27, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 .E'. D.Oawi y .NVENTOR ATTORNEY g- 4, 1931- E. D. CAWLEY SPRING CONDITIONINGDEVICE Filed Aug. 27, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 .Z..D. Uawigm ATTORNEYPatented Aug. 4, 1931 PATENT OFFICE EDWARD D. CAWLEY, F AUGUSTA,GEORGIA.

SPRING CONDETIONING DIEZVICZE! Application filed August 27, 1930.

This invention relates to a spring conditioning device, the generalobject of the invention being to provide means for restoring a spring toits original condition when the coils thereof have been pressed togetheror partly so through use, so that the spring can be used again and notdiscarded for a new one.

This invention also consists in certain other features of constructionand in the combina- 19 tion and arrangement of the several parts, to behereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawingsand specifically pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail, ref

erence will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like charactersdenote like or corresponding parts throughout the several views, and inwhich Figure 1 is a side view of the invention.

Figure 2 is an end view thereof.

Figure 3 is a top plan view with parts broken away.

Figure 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Figure 3.

In these views, the numeral 1 indicates a table provided with the legs 2and having a pair of bearing openings 3 therein for the vertical shafts4. The shafts are spaced apart and have the gears 5 attached to theirlower ends. 30 A member 6 is fastened to the under side of the tablebetween the gears and is formed with the horizontal side flanges 7 toprovide supporting and guiding means for the limbs of a yoke-shapedmember 8, the outer edges of said limbs being formed with the teeth 9which mesh with the gears so that when the yoke shaped member isreciprocated, the shafts are rotated. A cylinder 10 is fastened to thetable and contains a piston 11, the rod 12 of which is connected withthe bight of the yoke-shaped member.

A pipe 13 connects the outer end of the cylinder with a source ofcompressed air or the like and said pipe contains a valve 14 whichcontrols the flow of compressed air into the cylinder. By opening thisvalve, co-mpressec air will enter the cylinder and thus force the piston11 forwardly so that the teeth of the yokeshaped member will -to itsoriginal length.

Serial No. 478,248.

cause rotation of the gears 5, which in turn rotate the shafts 4.

An upright tubular member 15 has a stem 16 at its lower end which passesthrough holes in the table and in the member 6, with the bottom of thetubular member resting on the table. This member is arranged between thetwo shafts and is removable. The spring A to be reconditioned is placedover the member 15, as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

Each shaft 4 has that part projecting above the table of rectangularshape in cross section and a circular die 17 is adapted to be placed oneach shaft, each die having a rectangular bore for receiving therectangular part of the shaft, so that the dies will rotate with theshafts. Each die is formed with a plurality of flanges 18. These flangesdo not extend around the entire circumference of the die and are spacedapart the distance of the diameter of the coils of the spring to betreated. The forward end of each flange is tapered, as shown at 19, withthe taper eX- tending downwardly from the top Wall of the flange to thebottom thereof so as to provide a point and the tapered end of eachflange is spaced forwardly from the tapered end of the flange above it.The flanges of the two dies are alternately arranged as shown, so thatwhen a flange of one die is entering between two of the convolutions ofthe spring at one side of the spring, a flange of the other die isentering the space between the two convolutions at the opposite side ofthe spring so that thetwo flanges will act to force the two convolutionsapart, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, and the widths of the flanges aresuch as to separate the convolutions to the proper extent, so as torestore the spring The two dies and the member 15 are removable, and Icontemplate providing sets of the dies and member 15 so that the devicecan be used with different sizes of springs.

From the foregoing it will be seen that it is simply necessary to placethe spring which is to be reconditioned on the member 15 after thespring has been heated and then to 1'0- tate the dies by introducing airinto the ey1- index 1.0 to force the piston. 11 forwardly so that theteeth of the limbs of the member 8 will rotate the shafts t throughmeans of the gears 5. During the first part of the rotary movement, thelower flanges of the two dies will have their beveled ends pass betweenthe lower convolutions of the springs so as to force these apart andthen the next two flanges will enter the space between the secondconvolution and the third convolution and so on, until all thefiangesipass between the convolutions and thus the spring will berestored to its original length, with the convolutions properly spacedapart and as they were originally. The parts are so arranged andconstructed that the forward stroke of the piston 11 will cause the yokemember to rotate the dies so as to cause the flanges thereon to enterthe space between the convolutions and thus restore the spring to itsorig inal position in one operation It is thought from the foregoingdescription that the advantages and novel features of the lHXGD ClOHwill be readily apparent It is to be understood that changes may be madein the construction and in the combina tion and arrangei'nent of theseveral parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of theappended claim.

hat I claim is A device of the class described comprising a table, apair of upright shafts rotatably arranged in the table gears at thelower ends of the shafts, a yoke-shaped member slidably supported belowthe table top and having teeth on the outer edges of its limbs forn'leshing with the teeth of the gears, a cylinder supported by thetable, a piston therein, a rod connecting the piston with the yokeshaped member, means for introducing compressed tlu d into the cylinderto move the piston forwardly, a die removably arranged on each shaft andhaving flanges thereon extending over a part of its circumference, theforward end of each flange being beveled and said end being located inadvance of the end oi the flange above it, with the flanges of one diealternately arranged with respect to those of the other die, and anupright member removably supported by the table between the dies andover which the spring to be reconditioned is placed.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

EDWARD D. GAXVLEY.

